Is Jay Cutler that good? Or are the Broncos that bad?

The Broncos' 27-17 loss to the Chicago Bears last night didn't start out so badly thanks to a crowd whose berserker rage fired up the defense throughout the first quarter. Once the throng's energy level eased up, however, members of the Denver D suddenly remembered that they suck balls -- but they can't bat them down, intercept them or recover them. Armed with that knowledge (and just plain armed, unlike Broncos signal-caller Kyle Orton), newly minted Bears QB Jay Cutler calmly cut the squad to pieces. Watching him deliberately march his squad down the field during a 98-yard scoring drive was like having someone tie one end of my intestine to the back of a four-year-old's Big Wheel and then watch the little shit slowly pedal away.

During the press conference afterward, Cutler, aka Mr. Grumpy Pants, came across as so smug and full of himself that he suddenly made Chargers dick Philip Rivers seem modest in comparison. Can't wait to see his reaction after getting picked off four or five times by a real defense, as opposed to one that has to blitz, stunt and gamble in ways that can lead to huge plays because the players aren't talented enough to beat anyone straight up. Still, that's cold comfort considering the horrid situation the Broncos find themselves in. Mike Shanahan was given the heave-ho in part because of hubris -- his sense that he could turn any scrub into a Pro Bowler. But replacement Josh McDaniels seems to have this same quality in abundance, sans the track record of having been the head coach of two Super Bowl winners.

How big a joke have the Broncos become? This morning on ESPN Radio, a Detroit Lions fan made fun of them. Lucky thing I work on the first floor of our building....

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